A question (not original to me) I have asked many is, “If you were to die tonight and God would ask you, ‘Why should I let you into My heaven?’ how would you answer Him?”

We get reminders many times and in many ways that none of us are guaranteed another day. That makes this a very important question to consider. The most common responses I’ve heard have shown that a lot of people are relying on their own goodness or something they have done to make them acceptable to God.

However, God has clearly said in His word that we all have sinned and fall short of His righteous standard (Romans 3:10, 23). But God has provided a solution for our sins to be forgiven so we can be right with Him. The solution – salvation, provided through the Son of God – the Lord Jesus Christ. Through His goodness, and the sacrifice He made on the cross in the place of sinners, and through rising from the dead – Jesus has done all that is necessary to provide salvation. That gracious gift of salvation is received when a sinner responds to the good news of Jesus with faith.

It is emphasized very strongly in the Bible that the right response to the gospel, the only right response that God accepts, is faith in Jesus Christ alone. Turning away from anything we might be trusting in other than Jesus Christ and putting our faith in Jesus alone is the only way we can receive forgiveness for our sins. It’s the only way to have a relationship with God and enter heaven instead of hell when we come to the end of this life – all by God’s grace.

The fact that salvation is all by God’s grace (an undeserved gift) is also clearly seen in the Bible. For example, Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Maybe it’s a part of man’s pride, but we often want to think there’s some part in this that “I” did. As a result, we often hear things added to the pure gospel of God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Things like taking communion, doing enough good works, or being baptized are common false additions to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Throughout the ages, God’s requirement has been the same: “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:3), “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16), “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31), “and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Philippians 3:9).

We could also look at the examples of the paralytic in Matthew 9:2-7, the repentant woman in Luke 7:37-50, the tax collector in Luke 18:13-14, and the thief on the cross in Luke 23:39-43. None of them were saved by their works, none of them had taken communion, none of them had been baptized, but all of them were saved by grace through faith.

In 1 Corinthians 1:17, the apostle Paul clearly says “baptism” was not a part of the gospel he preached. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, he outlines the gospel he did preach. No mention of communion bread or wine, no mention of baptism, no reliance on man’s works – it’s all about Jesus and what He did through His death, burial, and resurrection. Paul says this was the gospel they believed, and that’s how they were saved.

If you were to die tonight and God would ask you, “Why should I let you into My heaven?” how would you answer Him? The only right answer is about what Jesus accomplished through the cross – all by God’s grace – and you have received Jesus and His gift by faith.